CURRENT STATUS OF HEMOGLOBINOPATHY RESEARCH AMONG NILGIRI TRIBES – A MINI REVIEW

Abstract

The Nilgiris district, home to 7.2 lakh people, has a diverse population of 27,032 tribal members, including six historical indigenous groups such as Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Kaatunaiyakans, and Badagas (an aboriginal group). They reside in Kotagiri, Ooty, Gudalore, and Pandalore taluks. Hemoglobinopathy addresses the structure and function of hemoglobin at the genetic level. It involves thalassemia, G6PD deficiency, and sickle cell disease. In Nilgiris, people are more affected by a genetic disease called hemoglobinopathy. The most frequent causes are hemoglobin gene mutations, iron deficiency, and trait carriers because of consanguineous marriage. The aim of this review is to assess the status of hemoglobinopathy research among Nilgiris tribes at present. We used scientific databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and reviewed articles from the previous ten years. It has been found that sickle cell disease prevalence is highest in Irular, Panniya, Kurumba tribes, particularly in 0–14 and 25–49 age groups, with Irulasof 50.6%having the highest rate per 100,000 people. Gudallore Valley indigenous people are at high risk of premature death. ß-thalassemia cases have been reported in the Irula, Kurumba, and Paniya tribes, with a prevalence rate of 8%. The Nilgiris tribes have a genetic variant, G6PD Nilgiris, with a 10.0% occurrence rate. A rare variant called HBSD-Punjab SCT was found among the larger ethnic group called the Badagacommunity. The limited available data on this core domain necessitates further research to reduce its occurrence among these tribes and prevent its recurrence over time.